NCAA women’s basketball projection leaves SU out of top 16

Syracuse, N.Y. — There’s a lot of women’s college basketball left to be played, and according to the NCAA Tournament selection committee Syracuse still has some work to do to earn the right to begin that competition in the Carrier Dome. The committee revealed its initial projection of top 16 seeds on Monday night, and the Orange was not among that group. That’s crucial because the top four teams in each of the four regions — 16 overall — get the right to host the tournament’s opening weekend unless there is a scheduling conflict in their arena. Baylor is the top overall seed, followed by fellow No. 1 seeds Louisville, Oregon and Mississippi State. The No. 2 seeds are UConn, defending NCAA champion Notre Dame, Stanford and NC State. The No. 3 seeds are Marquette, Iowa, Maryland and Oregon State. And the No. 4 seeds are South Carolina, Gonzaga, Iowa State and Miami. Syracuse is ranked No. 16 in the latest AP poll. ESPN’s Charlie Creme thought it was odd that SU was left out of the initial reveal. “The Orange are not only No. 9 in the RPI, but also have the sixth-rated schedule in the country and have five top-50 wins,” he wrote. “Granted, some other power rankings don’t have Syracuse as high, but given recent history and the data on which the committee typically leans, it’s strange that the Orange aren’t on this initial list.” Syracuse, of course, can start jumbling all this on Wednesday when North… [Read full story]